Together Always
by AwesomeLass
Summary: Christmas snippet now up on Chapter Two! A collection of standalone snippets of my favorite couple: Shepard and Vakarian.
1. Together Always

_A/N: A writing prompt about tea inspired this, so I will likely post little moments between Shepard and Vakarian that have nothing to do with either of the ME stories I'm doing. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I liked exploring this different, quieter side of my favorite ME couple._

**Together. Always.**

The soft glow of her private terminal illuminated her face, accentuating the creases and scars she'd acquired since Cerberus rebuilt her. The machine sounded out quiet pings for every new message that came through, like echoes in her cabin, but in reality it was just a lot of mail coming in at once.

Shepard faced the empty fish tank, unable to continue reading pleas of help and military loss reports. All for her. Or rather, _because_ of her. Because of Thessia.

Nightmares plagued her sleep and the Reapers her waking hours. There was no rest, no end in sight. And now that Thessia had fallen, Shepard didn't think there would ever be one.

Her door hissed open. For once, Shepard regretted her open-door policy. That is, until she heard _him_.

"Shepard," Garrus called to her. His voice was a magnet to his eyes. He stretched his neck this way and that way until he felt comfortable enough. "I brought you something."

Only then did Shepard notice the tray with a chunky kettle and two small cups, one of which was already full. She'd been too busy looking at his face, not for the first time losing herself to the hair-thin cracks scattered across his plates where there hadn't been any before she died.

Not a second later, she was thrown into a trance. She tried to process how chaos had enveloped them from the moment they'd met that fateful day at the Citadel years ago, and yet he had so willingly provided that stability she'd secretly and desperately grown dependent on. The two of them had been through hell and back, thick and thin, and in one too many foxholes— all the while Garrus remained faithfully by her side. They'd had their share of disagreements; at times, he had even questioned some of the decisions she made. But _never_ her loyalty, her friendship, or her love. Never questioned _her_.

"You okay?" he asked softly, but loud enough to bring her back to reality.

She gave him an easy smirk. "I am," she replied, standing as she spoke. She looked at the tray again, with a quizzical brow in place. "What is it?"

He balanced _it_ on one hand and pushed her terminal toward the corner of her desk with the other before setting the tray down. "Well," he began, "I decided to do more research on humans—"

"Have you now?" she teased.

His mandibles flared out in a grin. "—Not that kind of research, Shepard. Besides, I have you for that." He allowed her a moment to giggle, fully knowing she would, before continuing. "I know you've been under a lot of stress lately and found that drinking tea is supposed to help people relax." He lowered a hand to her waist and slid it to her lower back, guiding her to the long couch parallel to their bed. "I'll be right back," he promised and returned to her desk, where the tray was.

Shepard sat back on the couch, craning her neck to see what Garrus was up to, but their respective positions forbade her from seeing anything but the top of his head. She followed his form when he came back into view.

Garrus sat beside her, close enough that their legs were touching. When he settled down, he nestled a warm cup in her hands and looked at her expectantly. "I made it myself."

The pride in his eyes was unmistakable, as was his hesitation. She'd seen the look before plenty of times, especially when it came to trying out newly learned human traditions and anything else of the sort. It was endearing.

She brought the warm cup to her lips, noticing the various unmistakable remains of leaves; most of the minced pieces were still fresh green or purple, some floating gingerly at the top while others were crumpled at the bottom of the cup. The water was a very pale yellow, and the normally scented silky steam coming from the brew lacked any sort of indication that this was, in fact, tea.

Shepard steeled herself and took a sip.

The taste was lighter than she had expected, thankfully. Though what she _could_ taste, was familiar to her in the shape of cilantro and other leafy ingredients found in the kitchen down in the mess. She had to muffle a chuckle that threatened to escape her at the thought that this exceptional sniper with keen observational skills, and former C-Sec investigator, had completely missed the little box of tea bags next to the coffee machine on the kitchen counter. She'd have to tease him about it. Later. "Mmm."

Satisfied with her reaction, Garrus joined her in drinking the contents of his own cup. It was a dark turian drink that smelled more appealing than her own. "We'll get through this, Shepard. _Together_. We always do."

"Always?"

"_Always_."

He drew his arm behind Shepard, resting it there while he played with her hair. He beamed and nudged her forehead with his, moving in for a push of his turian mouth to her human lips.

She returned his smile. His visor was tucked safely by his armor in the cargo bay; Shepard was free to loose herself in those lovely, inviting pools of his. His gestures gave her more comfort and peace than any promises of support she'd ever received, and his gaze touched her more deeply than any poetic words ever could.

Maybe she didn't need a great escape after all, because everything she needed was the turian next to her.


	2. Home for Christmas

_A/N: I thought about holding off til it was closer to Christmas to post this, but I'll be very busy with another story, and my own school work to do it later. I hope everyone, religious and otherwise, enjoys this little story. Please remember to comment, message, fav, and follow- they keep me writing!_:D

**Home for Christmas**

It started with a swell of pride for Grunt having officially become a member of Clan Urdnot, which mixed in with maternal instincts biology dictated she have. But it was the dossiers' availability Liara and her nifty new ship provided that sent Shepard's wheels spinning.

With the up-and-coming upgrades to the _Normandy_, there'd be a lot of downtime after a stop at Illium. Her omni-tool showed her it would be Christmas on Earth in just a couple of days.

Despite the many foxholes she'd found herself in, Shepard wasn't particularly religious. She was neutral, if not spiritual. But not religious, just like her parents and most of their relatives had been for generations.

Christmas was not about the lore, she was told. It was about taking the time to show others you appreciate them, instead of buzzing about in life, too busy for loved ones.

Of the many things she missed from her childhood, Christmas in Mindoir often plagued her memory whenever she felt nostalgic. Her father would pull out a neatly-boxed plastic fir, and their entire family would spend an evening decorating it to old holiday songs.

The war against the Reapers was important, and needed her at her best. But more than once, for many a good reason, did Shepard wish none of it was real. That the Reapers were an old wives' tale spun by Saren to throw her off his xenophobic scent. That she wasn't so skilled at putting a pullet between an enemy's eyes. That she wasn't able to biotically snap someone's neck all too easily. That she hadn't lost her family to slavers, and was fifteen again, wrapping gifts with her mother. That she wasn't _Commander Shepard_.

But she was. And, despite the current misgivings with Cerberus, she was still an Alliance marine. As Commanding Officer of the _Normandy_, it just wouldn't look right if she suddenly decided to decorate the ship to fulfill her sentimentalities.

Yet, yet here she was.

Commander Shepard, first human Spectre, Savior of the Citadel, Collector Killer, Renown Warrior against the Reaper threat, in front of a toy store in Illium.

Her omni-tool sent a short vibration through her arm; one of her teammates' hardsuit had automatically synced to hers. Though, she paid no mind to it, too busy window-shopping.

It was a little harder than it should have been to ignore all the new, shiny ship models displayed elegantly. But she was here on a mission.

Ghosting her eyes over the few displays of action figures, she wondered briefly if they would ever make one of Wrex. Maybe even her— after all, there_ was_ a V.I. of her floating somewhere.

What was she supposed to get anyway? The action figure Grunt had bought for himself was krogan, even if it was part of a human-made series. And who was she to know which toy was good to get and which wasn't?

'_When giving something to someone special, do it in a way that you are also giving a little bit of yourself to them,'_ her mother had said years and years ago, giving Shepard an old, hard copy of a book she'd never heard of until that day. Not surprisingly, _Pride and Prejudice_ was still one of her favorite books yet, even if she couldn't bear to read it again after her parents' passing.

Her mother's wise words echoed through her and guided her thoughts effortlessly to a certain turian face. Shepard wondered for a second what Garrus would think if she gave him something for a human holiday.

"Shepard?"

Her breath sucked in quietly through her nostrils, Shepard did all she could to look contained, and like she hadn't almost gasped. Illium made her jumpy.

Or maybe he did.

"Garrus."She turned to the turian. "You snuck up on me."

"I noticed. Unlike you." His mandibles spread into an easy smile. "Actually, Shepard," he began, drawing out the words like he usually did whenever he was about to give her a reprimand masked with a quick-witted joke, "I've been standing here for a while. You didn't notice right away and I wanted to see how long it'd take until you did. But I got tired of waiting."

Any comment she had was stilled on her lips as they curved themselves into a gentle smile. He was handsome. To her, at least. She could never be a judge of turian beauty standards.

She was surprised at the relaxed state they had fallen into after her raunchy proposition. Sometimes they acted like a couple, with little intimate looks, or tender physical familiarity, and even frequent moments when everything around them stopped and they each had to catch their breath having had it stolen at the sight of the other. Other times, they were teammates, comrades, a brother and sister in arms; they were best friends and trusted one another implicitly.

A desire to want to share more than a bed with the turian beside her left her gulping hard. If she could at least give him something this Christmas, a little piece of her, without ruining the night they had yet to have— it would be a nice gift in itself.

"Come on," he said, coaxing her with a nudge of her arm with his. "What's on your mind?"

A frown came to her features, in spite of the small smile still in place. "Christmas, a holiday some humans celebrate," said Shepard. "We give presents to people we care about. I was thinking getting something for Grunt."

"I have to admit, I was worrying you were thinking about buying more models for your display. Not sure there's much more room in that glass case."

"Hey, now," Shepard warned, putting a hand up to show her displeasure, "there's always room for more model ships. Make no mistake."

"You _miiight_ need an intervention. Just saying."

"Laugh it up, big guy, but you're the one with more sniper rifle mod parts than you know what to do with."

He led the way inside the toy store as he spoke. "Yes, but you never know when one will come in handy depending on the situation."

"It's not like we can carry a bag with your collection into the field."

"It's called being prepared, _Shepard_." Garrus found the path to the action figures without difficulty, and pulled a boxed item to view.

"I'd say _obsession_ is a more suitable term."

"Incidentally, I heard Armax has a new Special Edition silencer."

"Just saying?" she asked, teasingly.

"You're getting Grunt something. Figured that…"

That Shepard would get _him_ something, too. She beamed up at him, loving the way he expected her to care for him. She had made it very clear to him that unless everything went horribly wrong, she didn't intend for…whatever they had to be a one-nighter, or a friends-with-benefits thing either. He'd agreed. However awkward their arrangement had begun, it was the best that two equally awkward people could do.

"You could get him human action figures. Give him something other than turians to have his little krogan battlemaster crush."

She giggled quietly. "Sounds good."

Shepard picked up a human super hero from a shelf and read over the information on the package. She paused to look at the one Garrus was holding when he whispered something about a holographic miniature omni-blade that his choice had.

"We decorated a section of C-Sec Headquarters when Christmas came around," said Garrus, putting back the action figure on the high shelf. "The asari officers were especially into it. Maybe even more than the humans."

"That's… odd."

Garrus pulled down another action figure, an Alliance N7 marine with tiny mass effect field thrusters in his fists to act as a biotic; it was pricier than a lot of the other action figures.

"Mmm. I don't know, Shepard. It's colorful and promotes… feelings. Seems like perfect asari bait to me."

Shepard chuckled louder now and she elbowed his side for making her snort like the dork she was deep inside, behind her military mask. "You like that one?"

He nodded quickly. "Yeah, I think he'll like it too."

"Good. We should get him a couple other too. Give him a full squad. Courtesy of the Illusive Man."

"I'm sure Grunt'll like that."

* * *

Shepard had only planned on getting something for Garrus and Grunt. Joker and Liara were added to the list rather quickly after Shepard gained a newfound love for buying gifts, thanks in part to a particularly smartass turian who kept her company while she shopped. From store to store, she kept adding names to the list until she was no longer particularly worried about funds, as Cerberus had plenty. The crew was heading into a dangerous mission; there was no reason why they shouldn't have something nice just because.

Most of the gifts were delivered to the ship directly, but Shepard was able to bring a few with her immediately to her cabin instead of having to go get them at the cargo bay, along with some awful wrapping paper— the only she managed to find.

Garrus had joined her in her quarters, assisting in wrapping the best he could with his taloned hands. He sat on the long couch using the table whilst Shepard sat on and used the floor.

"I like it this way," she said to him when he offered to make room on the table for her to wrap. She gave him a quick, reassuring smile and resumed wrapping Tali's new omni-tool modulator.

The two sat quietly for a little longer, engrossed in their tasks, when Shepard's smile turned somber, a shadow of what it had been just moments prior.

"Shepard?" called Garrus. She snapped her attention to him in a heartbeat, only noticing now how gloomy her thoughts had grown. She mused that perhaps, this wasn't as great an idea as she originally thought. "You okay?"

Only two words; an incomplete question. Yet it was enough to fill a whole page in a long book. Those words, two little words, were an invitation. To vent. To share. These two little words had been used by one and the other at separate times. They had been the beginning of long conversations about anything and everything. Including Doctor Heart, Ashley, Saren, Sidonis, and even dying in outer space. The conversations were about hardships and struggles, sorrow and fear. But never about broken hearts.

"Yeah," she lied, nodding and raising her brows in defiance. "I'm fine." But even the A.I. that was probably listening in, knew otherwise.

"Shepard," Garrus repeated, an indignant whisper that dared her to lie to _him_ of all people again. She knew she couldn't lie and get away with it. Not with him. He knew it, too.

Shepard sighed and bit the inside of her cheeks to keep herself from turning into a mess.

There was a long intake of breath sounding small echoes through her cabin. It was a while before she had the courage to speak. "I used to sit like this," she began, "on the floor. Wrapping presents for my family. My mom always joined me and sometimes I'd help her wrap my brother's gifts or my dad's, or any family member's if we had any coming over.

"We'd decorate the entire house, but especially the living room— where most human families spend their time together in their home," she explained. "We'd put up a cheesy plastic Christmas tree that we had to fluff up by moving the wiring this way or that way."

Shepard put Tali's gift aside, and began to wrap Kelly's. "We'd hang up keepsakes, spheres and other shiny things on it. Drape it in white lights because I once told my mom I thought colorful lights looked tacky." She laughed at herself. "And we'd sit there and wrap, listening to cheerful holiday music. Often times, we didn't even talk. We didn't need to. We just sat there, together."

Garrus had stopped wrapping the gift he was holding, absorbed in Shepard's words, but she didn't notice. She was too busy trying not to weep. Trying not to feel weak. She bit her bottom lip, because her cheeks were too raw now.

"I miss it. The wrapping. The lights. The warmth... The _love_. _Her_. I miss _her_ most of all. She was the most beautiful being in the universe." This time, her sigh was deliberate. Her eyes closed as she gathered her bearings and sobered herself up.

His offered words of comfort were easily dismissed, because, as she'd assured him, she was fine. Over it. So they spent the rest of the evening talking about other things, eating dinner, and wrapping the remainder of the gifts when the turian brought the rest back up.

* * *

The next day, which was Christmas Eve on Earth, with a mischievous grin, Shepard wondered if Garrus had noticed his gift was completely missing from the pile. After making sure the upgrades were going as planned, she headed out to the market again, this time, alone.

She quickly located a vendor that sold the Armax Special Edition silencer that Garrus wanted. The stats on that thing were off the charts good; it was no wonder he had his eye on it. The company had packaged the silencer so that it was almost like it was wrapped already, even if there were no cheesy reindeer printed on the paper. It would be a disservice to the packaging department of the company if she enfolded the item with cheap paper, so she decided against it.

That meant that Shepard didn't have to head back to the ship right away. She opted instead for walking about the market district closest to the docks until she could think of another and more personal gift to give the turian.

She didn't have much to her name, and what she did have was either stowed away by Hackett until she could wear Alliance blues again, or had somehow been acquired by the Illusive Man and was safely hidden by Miranda somewhere in Mindoir until they came back from the mission.

While having tea at one of the few human-oriented restaurants, a cheap little coffee shop sandwiched between a games store and yet another souvenirs shop, a conversation the human and turian had had a few times after her return popped into her head.

It was shortly after Horizon. She was holed up in her cabin, refusing to come out for anyone unless it involved the coming mission. Angry that Kaidan had acted as though he hardly recognized her, she shaved most of her luscious locks in a fit, in favor of what could only be described as a long and voluminous mohawk. She'd give Kaidan reason enough not to be recognized. She would have dyed her mane too, had one blue-eyed turian not vehemently demanded to be let in.

He didn't blame her for acting as she did, surprised as he was by her new haircut. He didn't act shocked to see almost every piece of glass in her cabin that could be broken _was_, and the chairs and anything movable was in disarray. He made no comment that her cabin seemed to have been hit by a volatile human tornado. And he wasn't stunned that the normally calm and collected Commander, was the human tornado that nearly ruined her own quarters.

Instead, Garrus simply said that he could only guess how difficult it was to be brought back like she was.

She cringed at the memory— she acted like a child throwing a tantrum. But he stood until she sat, joining her when she did. And he listened for hours to her rage on about her feelings.

Shepard had been bashing Cerberus for doing something she hadn't asked for. It was one of those days where she'd been utterly vexed that they, a terrorist organization, had brought her back without her permission. Not that she was in a position to give it.

And when she'd finished, he countered her, unafraid.

"_I… We thought we lost you, Shepard._" His voice husky and cracked with his admission. Said he was glad they did it, even if she was upset. Said he was a bad turian for being so selfish, but still glad, happy even that she'd been brought back to him. He couldn't stand to be left alone in the forsaken galaxy. He didn't need to point out how terribly he'd handled her death. Archangel or not.

It occurred to her then, something she did have that she could give him. A little piece of her.

* * *

The third shift arrived at the _Normandy_, which meant it was nighttime for Shepard and a few others. After wrapping the turian's second gift, Shepard left her cabin to play Skyllian Five with Gaby and Kenneth. The two suckers that they'd been during their first match some weeks ago were no longer there, and had even brought Thane, Zaeed, and few other crew members to join them.

Shepard had noticed small talk between crew members, and apparently some had exchanged gifts. She judged it was the more lenient Cerberus protocol that promoted the warmer behavior within her crew. Maybe Ceberus had one or two good ideas, after all. But just one or two.

"Shepard," EDI bubbled out from her hub, "Mister Vakarian wishes you to meet him by the elevator behind the Mess. He has also expressed an annoyance that you do not keep your omni-tool turned on when you are aboard."

"Thanks, EDI," Shepard said. The oddity she felt at being so friendly with an A.I. was fading each day, but it was still weird when EDI would make little remarks now and then. Like she… _it_ found something funny or amusing.

She left the game, going all-in on a crappy hand and paid her dues whilst the crew hollered that they took down Commander Shepard. They were all on a high note still when the door of the cargo bay closed behind her.

"Garrus?"

He was waiting for her, leaning on a light metal beam like one of those cool guys in those ancient movies. "Shepard."

"What's this about?"

He avoided her gaze. "Can we, uh, go to your cabin?"

If he ever wanted to hang out, or just talk, he usually just came in, or announced himself if he thought she was busy once he was already at the door. But this time, it was almost as though he were asking for an invitation. The thought that he may want to…initiate something was enough to scatter her brain, but it swiftly left her when she noticed the roguish look in his face.

It was his unmistakable signature look when he was about to say or do something incredibly witty, or that catered to his smartass ego.

She squinted up at him and led the way into the elevator without a word, letting her eyes accuse him.

"Close your eyes," he ordered.

"Why? So I won't glare at you anymore?"

He chuckled lightly, mandibles flaring with each hike of his laugh. "You should know it wouldn't have the desired effect on me, anyway."

"I do know. Still, you think you can keep cool under my _intimidating_ glower, Vakarian?"

"I've stared down more people than you think, Shepard. I guess my C-Sec skills help."

"You don't find my stare intimidating?" she asked him with a playful scowl.

"_Crazy_, at times. But that's different— more scary than intimidating. Now close your eyes," he said, blocking the exit when they reached her floor.

When she obliged, Garrus pulled her along with a shaky hand. She heard the door of her cabin open and, once they stepped in, hiss close. His hand suddenly leaving hers left her feeling cold, but he quickly replaced it on the small of her back as he gently guided her a few more steps in.

"You can open them now," he allowed.

Shepard nearly rubbed her eyes to be sure she was seeing correctly.

What had been a glare just a few moments ago, turned into a look full of mirth. A green and graceful holograph fir was as tall as the ceiling, and decorated impeccably with colorful spheres and other little nothings. L.E.D. lights lined every surface of her cabin. And the presents! The presents that they wrapped together were carefully nestled under the tree. In the background played an old rendition of a Christmas song whose name she could not, at the moment, recall.

It was no Mindoir Christmas, but it didn't lack for warmth and style. And _love_. It was home.

"Garrus," she murmured, completely in awe. She brought her hands up to her mouth, still in disbelief. "I don't even know what to say," she said after a minute.

"Do you like it?" he asked.

She jumped and laughed heartily then, wrapping her arms around his neck in the nook of his carapace, letting herself go for a moment.

Just as she was about to dip her head in for a single, liberating kiss, the door of her cabin broadcasted another arrival.

Shepard saw Grunt's figure behind Garrus, and quickly pushed herself off from the turian, who had subconsciously let a hand to press against her back during their encounter.

"Grunt," Shepard yelped. "What are you— what's up?"

"I, uh, may have called him up here, too," the turian said, having obviously forgotten. "Thought we'd get a kick out seeing him open them in person."

The krogan studied the duo carefully, and then the scenery. He groaned, either grossed out by what the two had almost done, or how her cabin looked, or both. Probably both.

"I'll come back later," he said gruffly.

"No, it's fine," said Shepard, still recovering from a faint blush, walking to Grunt.

She pulled him by his forearm, and the krogan allowed the human to lead him only to the foot of the stairs, as if coming closer to the dainty tree would mar the universal image of krogan strength. But Shepard managed to coax him down the remaining steps.

He crossed his arms. "What is it?" he demanded whilst looking at the fir.

"It's a Christmas tree."

"This one of those _human_ things again?" he asked, referring to a belated Happy Birthday private celebration she'd held with Garrus, and Zaeed, in the krogan's honor over at the shooting range. And the many other birthday celebrations of her crew.

"Yes. I'm guessing Okeer didn't have anything to say about it."

"Of course not," said Grunt, a little irritated.

Shepard fidgeted a little with her hands, whilst Garrus sat back on the long cough to watch the show. "Christmas is holiday when we take the time to remind those we care about, that, well, we care about them." The young krogan let out another exasperated groan. "In part, we do this by offering them gifts."

The krogan watched at her askance, his baby-blue eyes even brighter in the many lights that adorned her cabin. She dug through the pile on the floor until she found Grunt's presents, and gave one to him.

He took it hesitantly and held it in one hand. "Paper?"

"No, it's um… Open it." Shepard smiled. "Rip the paper," she clarified.

When he uncovered enough of the gift, his eyes widened a little and, for a single glorious moment, a childlike smile spread on his big face.

"It has biotic powers," he stated, nonchalantly.

"Yeah, pretty cool, huh?"

Beside them, still sitting, Garrus cleared his throat. "I'd like to point out that I chose that one."

Grunt's mouth moved, but whatever he was about to say stayed in his tongue, as he finished unwrapping his gift and tore the plastic to get the toy out. He tested the miniature mass effect thrusters in the N7 action figure, seemingly satisfied with the results.

"What else?" he asked suddenly, looking up at Shepard.

Shepard suppressed another smile, judging it best to not let the krogan know how cute the unfolding scene before her was. She handed him two other packages, which he opened ferociously. "You can have a full squad, start building a crew," said Shepard, because she couldn't very well let him know what she'd read on Liara's ship.

Grunt eyed the human and the turian sitting behind her, with his arms full of plastic action figures. He opened his mouth to say something, but closed it and left for the elevator instead.

When they were sure the lift was well on its way down, Shepard and Garrus looked at each other, with self-satisfied smirks. Then the human went and fished something out from her closet. A rather long and fancy box with some sort of turian writing on it.

She returned to Garrus, who had spread his arms alongside the back of the couch on either side of him. She had placed the box at her back, so he wouldn't see it just yet, and sat beside him on the corner where she liked.

"I got you something, too," Shepard said with a sly grin.

"And here I was worried you cared more about a krogan than your favorite turian," he teased. To another human, that may have sounded like a spoiled brat who gaged the amount he was loved based on the gifts he got. But it was Garrus. And that was a joke. One she found enough to blush because he wanted her to care, which she did.

"Here," she said, taking out the box and handing it over.

His eyes lit up much in the same way Grunt's had just a few minutes ago: childlike and blissful. "Shepard, I didn't really think you'd g—"

"I know. But it's a damn good mod. You deserve it."

When he finished examining and what could only be described as fondling, he set the silencer down gently back in its box and put it on the table. The Christmas music playing in back filled the air, pumping her up with nothing but good feelings.

"I have something for you." Garrus reached across Shepard, not caring to avoid brushing her body. The hardness of him pressed up against her while he reached for whatever the hell he was trying to get, sent Shepard's sensations on overdrive. She was convinced she'd act like a damned schoolgirl when their official night together came. "Here," he said, pulling a long box from beside the long couch.

It was wrapped more carefully and delicately than any of the other gifts he'd helped wrap. Even the paper, in all its Christmas cheesiness, looked good. She looked for a nook in the wrapping and tore it from there.

Inside, was a compressed, beat up, really old school sniper rifle, with scratched paint here and there. She recognized the expensive turian make; the company used to make customized rifles to fit each specific turian, and only decompressed with the owner's biometrics. She grazed four long, calloused fingers along the length of the barrel, only to be surprised when it decompressed. Had she mistaken the brand?

"I rigged it so it would open for you too," Garrus said, almost reading her mind. "It's my first sniper rifle. I learned how to shoot with it, and now I get to watch your six because of that."

She was about to ask how and why he'd kept it so long, but then remembered Zaeed and his precious Jessie; the man just about killed her when she almost touched his assault rifle. So, she chose to tease Garrus instead. "You _get_ to watch my six? Like that's a good thing."

"Somebody's got to do it, might as well be me," he said, resting back in his seat. "Besides, it has some ample perks." His rascally grin returned to him, and Shepard felt her blush deepen at the hidden meaning behind his retort.

She smacked him playfully on his chest, but quickly resumed her attention on the sniper rifle. Standing, she picked up the rifle and posed it expertly with her. It was heavy and a little clunky, but it was also beautiful. Another smile escaped her lips, as she made the comparison between the rifle and its previous owner.

"It's gorgeous, Garrus," said Shepard, balancing the rifle in her arm, while the turian joined her in standing.

"It's old," he corrected, "and it doesn't work anymore, but it's gotten me through a lot."

That Garrus was willing to part with this rifle was beyond anything Shepard imagine getting, because this rifle was one of the very few things Garrus had bothered to keep around after all this time. "You sure you wanna give it to me?"

"Positive," he said confidently.

"Thank you." Shepard gazed up at Garrus and, feeling a little heat between them and a jolt of adrenaline. His mandibles twitched nervously as the two drew closer to each other like magnets.

The rush of what they were about to do deafened her to the sound of the door opening behind them.

"Oh, for _fuck_'s sake!" Zaeed growled, startling both the human and turian before him. "You're not even under a goddamned mistletoe!" He scruffily walked forward, and scanned Shepard's cabin. He was followed by Kelly and a few others.

"Thoughtful act catalyst to coitus in turians and humans. Not surprising," Mordin blurted. "Should give them privacy."

Shepard bit back the surge of worry that poured through her at knowing her and Garrus' liason wouldn't be able to remain a secret between them after tonight. Well, between them and Mordin.

"No, no," Shepard said quickly, ushering the growing crowd further in before the salarian kicked them out . "It's fine, it's good you all came."

The crowd multiplied, and soon enough drinks and snacks were being passed around the little groups that had formed. Archangel was pulled into a conversation with Krios and Miranda, and the Commander into one with Kasumi and Jack, who promptly called her a pussy before Shepard explained it'd all be Garrus' doing.

"Hey, Commander." Joker joined her little group. "I saw Grunt on his way to his room. He was blubbering something about a Christmas tree to anyone that would hear about it. Kinda weird to think about that there's big-ass krogan just a few floors down playing with some toys."

"Agreed," Shepard said.

"The little shit's gonna hear about it tomorrow. I'm making sure of it," Jack quipped.

"Have you seen him play?" Kasumi asked. "He's surprisingly adorable."

"Still gonna hear about it."

* * *

The groups changed members now and then, but the turian and his Commander never once being in the same one. They did, however, exchange a few glances and intimate smiles now and again. Shepard caught him more than once looking over at her, and he'd been guilty of it, too.

Everyone enjoyed the drinks, the lights, and the lovely Christmas tree that shone brightly on people's skin. The pile of gift grew smaller as time passed by; Samara was grateful for the great little meditation drone, Kasumi delighted at the brand-new Mirror Accelerator for her cloak, Zaeed was happy about having a state-of-the-art cleaning kit for Jessie, and the self-cleaning knife set for Gardner had him gushing about it for what seemed like forever.

One by one, each squad and crew member left with their gift, thankful, joyful and maybe just a little too drunk, until Shepard and Garrus were alone yet again.

"Pretty good for an impromptu party, don't ya think?" Shepard asked, wrapping her arms around herself.

"It's good to see everyone like this before we head into the relay," Garrus observed.

"It'll be an even bigger and better party when we come back through it."

"Definitely."

"You did an amazing job, Garrus. This place… It's perfect."

"I, uh, did some research and—"

"Again with the research?" she teased, "you seem to have grown quite fond of researching humans in your free time, Garrus."

"Well, I have a pretty good incentive to do so," he purred in a low voice, getting closer to her.

"Garrus!" she hit his chest, pretending to be shocked. "Oh, I almost forgot. I've something else for you. It's nothing… and they've been passed around a lot, but now that I have them back. Well. I just thought. Here. Open it."

She handed him a small box, carefully wrapped in the holiday paper, which he tore through dexterously. Inside, he found a dented, heavy scratched pair of dog tags and looked like they went through hell and back. _Her_ dog tags.

His blue eyes glittered with the many lights and something else Shepard couldn't place. A look of astonishment worn clearly on his face. He finally stole his gaze from the tags and to their previous owner. His brow plates shifted upwards, and his mandibles were completely slacked.

"I just figured that—"

Whatever she was about to say came to a halt when he pulled her into him and placed his forehead to hers. To him, _she_ was the most beautiful woman in universe, human or otherwise. And he intended to make sure she stayed with him this time around.

After a while, Garrus timidly snaked his arms around her back and pulled her against him in a tight embrace. His chin rested on the top of her head while he took quiet and calculated breaths. His eyes closed as he sank into the moment.

"Merry Christmas, big guy," she said into his chest, cradling his torso with her arms.

It was a few minutes before a shaky, turian voice spoke again.

"Merry Christmas, Shepard."


End file.
